


Damnit, Arthur

by Ficclub2014



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 18:03:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1788118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ficclub2014/pseuds/Ficclub2014
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate dimension where nothing bad happens(besides a bit of small arguments) and Merlin and Arthur are (mostly) happily married, Merlin and Arthur have a little struggle with their relationship... (One-shot)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Damnit, Arthur

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so I got a bridezilla promt so I'm using Arthur for that and... Yeah. (It's my first actual fic so the quality might not be awesome but oh well)

"All he ever does is order me around," Merlin grumbled to himself as he carried his husband's laundry around the castle. "You would think I should get some more respect considering I'm  _also_ a king now."

He rolled his eyes as he turned a corner, running strait into Arthur. "Ah, Merlin! I was just looking for you," he exclaimed, a grin on his face.

Merlin sighed, "What now? I've got my hands full if you haven not noticed." He lifted the basket of laundry slightly and raised an eyebrow an eyebrow.

Rolling his eyes back at Merlin, the king shook his head and frowned. "Merlin, honestly. Do you really think I am  _actually_ happy?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"Seemed like it for a minute, yeah," he replied with a small nod.

"Merlin! I get wind of you talking to Gwain and you think I'm happy?"

"Arthur, you're such a clotpole. We were  _talking_. I wasn't flirting with him it that's what you think. I _am_  married to you for a reason, you know," he retorted, briefly holding up his and and waggling his fingers to prove his point.

"Are you sure? Guinevere told me you two were looking pretty smug together."

"We were joking around about your pea-sized brain, don't be so jealous, Arthur. I can talk to other guys."

"I do not have a pea-sized brain!" Arthur retorted defensively, and then remembered a previous insult. "And I am not a clotpole!"

"Yes, you are," Merlin said with a grin, pecking Arthur's cheek and walking past him to deal with the pile of dirty clothes he was carrying. 

Arthur stood in his spot for a moment, surprised at the small kiss before remembering what he was doing and spinning around. "Hey! I'm not done with you!" he called after Merlin, but making no move to run after him.

"But I am," Merlin said as he walked away and disappeared behind a corner. 

Arthur sighed, storming in the opposite direction and passing Gwen in the hall. She gave Arthur a knowing look once she saw Arthur's pout. "Merlin troubling you this early in the day?" she asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Is it really that obvious?" Arthur asked in annoyance. 

"Yeah, kinda."

Arthur growled in frustration and stormed to his room, pouting while he answered letters addressed to him about the kingdom as well as neighboring kingdoms.

...

Sloshing through the horse dung, Merlin pinched his nose, still complaining to himself as he shoveled it. "Merlin!" the wizard could hear Arthur call and groaned.

"I'm cleaning the stalls. What do you want now?" he shouted back, angry that he already had another chore to do while he was in the middle on one already.

"Oh, good. After that you can polish my armor. I have got a tournament in a few days. You know, Merlin. I feel like ever since we got married you've hardly done enough for me. I mean, you even planned our wedding terribly and made me look bad in front of the entire kingdom. And the cake tasted awful anyway."

"The cake and the accident were not my fault," he called to Arthur, even though he knew it would be heard by deaf ears. "And I'm hardly a king, secondly. Also, I have done nothing but work my arse off ever since I said 'Yes' to you," Merlin muttered angrily.

"Yes, they were. And what was that?"

"Nothing. Okay, Dear," Merlin recovered, using the nickname Arthur hated the most on purpose. He continued his work, shoveling another clump of horse crap into a nearby wheel barrel.

"Good. Don't call me that. Oh, and take a bath, will you Merlin? I can smell you from here," Arthur called as he sauntered away, his voice fading slowly.

Merlin groaned, using his magic carelessly to finish his first chore once he was sure Arthur was gone. He then continued on to take a hasty bath and then do the rest of chores. It almost felt like nothing had changed since he had been promoted from a servant to a king. In fact, it almost seemed like he had to do a lot more work now that he was a king of Camelot. The only positives were that he was married to the man he loved, he got to sleep in a very luxurious bed at the end of the day, he ate much better food, and that the people smiled and politely bowed to him when they saw him. He was both his and Arthur's own servant, so he still wore his usual outfit since those clothes were more comfortable to do chores in.

After yest another long day of work, including some chores after Arthur himself went to sleep, Merlin remembered that tomorrow would be their anniversary. After he almost collapsed onto the bed that him and Arthur shared, he quickly woke himself up to do some pre-preparation for breakfast in bed and then crawled in next to Arthur to fall asleep.

...

Arthur awoke to a vase filled with handpicked flowers next to his head and a tray of warm, fresh breakfast items being presented to him by a very neat and cheery Merlin. Before he could say anything, he sneezed. 

"Merlin, you big oaf, I'm allergic to these kinds of flowers. God, you try to do something nice and screw it up right off the bat, like usual," he complained, pointing at a big, yellow flower in the middle of Merlin's carefully arranged assortment of flowers.

Merlin set his tray down in Arthur's lap and removed the flower, throwing it out an open window. "There you go, clotpole," he muttered once he got back to Arthur's side.

"So, what's the occasion?" he asked through a mouthful of food. "Is this to make up for what I pointed out yesterday? Because so far you're doing a decent job. Besides the flower."

Merlin nearly lost his temper. He wanted to unleash a torrent of lightning on Arthur at the moment, but he simply took a deep breath and put on a casual face. "Oh, you know, nothing special," he began nonchalantly. "Just our  _anniversary_ ," he stated with emphasis.

" _What?_ " Arthur sputtered, some food flying out of his mouth.

"I know, I'm a great-" Merlin began, almost pleased Arthur forgot so it could make him look like a good husband.

"Merlin! It's our anniversary and all you do for me is a bloody breakfast in bed?" he asked ridiculously, as if Merlin were the one at fault.

"Now, you listen here you arrogant little-" Merlin started to raise his voice before forcing himself to calm down. "I did not just plan breakfast in bed and flowers that make you sneeze for today. In fact, tonight there is a banquet in your honor."

"In my honor? Isn't it supposed to be about the two of us? How we surprisingly lasted so long?" Arthur asked, always finding something to complain about.

"Okay, in out honor," Merlin sighed, practically feeling his dark brown hair turning white. He had thought Arthur would have liked it in his honor more so it was all about him, being the self-absorbed arse hole he was, but apparently not. "Now, finish your breakfast. There's a round table meeting today."

Arthur nodded and had Merlin help him into his clothes, leaving Merlin to go down and prepare two horses for the picnic he had planned to have with Arthur later.

Once everyone had arrived, Arthur began the meeting and they began discussing whatever knights of the round table discuss at their meetings.

About half-way through, Gwain asked where Merlin was. Arthur lost his shit. "What. Has been up. With you and my husband lately?" he asked, pausing between phrases to add emphasis and express his annoyance. 

"Nothing," Gwain said defensively as he held up two hands in submission. "It's just that he's usually right by your side at these meetings and I was curious if something had happened to him."

The rest of the knights stayed quiet, knowing that if they intervened Arthur would just get more mad. "Well, Sir Gwain, thank you for your concern about  _my_ husband. I would just like to remind you that you yourself are in a relationship with Percival. I suggest that you keep your nose out of Merlin's business and keep it in your boyfriend's." Arthur stood up, not caring about the meeting anymore and strode out of the room.

...

Merlin looked up as Arthur entered their room quite a bit earlier than he had expected. He was packing a bag full of pillows and blankets, and a large basket of food rested on a table beside him.

"Really, Merlin? A picnic? How cliche can you get?" Arthur whined once he figured out what Merlin was doing.

Merlin simply rolled his eyes at the comment. "You'll like it. I promise," the warlock swore, using a finger to draw an "X" over where his heart was.

Arthur sighed, walking over to the made up bed and falling carelessly onto the bed face-first.

"Rough day at the round table was it?" Merlin asked as he trotted around the room. 

A muffled "Mrmph" came from Arthur.

"What happened? Or is it so top secret your king isn't allowed to know?"

"Merlin," Arthur began, making a small effort to sit up partially. 

"Hm?"

"You wouldn't cheat on me, would you?" he asked, trying, and for the most part succeeding, in hiding the concern in his voice.

"Arthur, you should already know I would not. I clean up horse dung for you, for God's sake. Gwain bothering you again? I already told you we were-"

"-Just talking. Yeah, yeah, I know. It just worries me. After what happened with Gwen and all. She should be happy I didn't banish her."

"And she is. Although I don't like the way she looks at you, sometimes. Acting like she knows you better than me," Merlin grumbled as he closed the saddlebag full of cloth and set it down next to the food basket. He moved to sit down next to his husband, hugging him slightly and grinning.

Arthur leaned into the hug and grinned a little at Merlin's comment. "Alright, let's give this picnic a try, then."

"That's the spirit!" Merlin encouraged as the pair got up, grabbing the supplies and then the two of them rode out into the woods. They settled down in a spot near the creek close to the same spot Arthur had taken Gwen all that time ago.

Merlin set up, and soon the two men were on their sides facing each other laughing, eating, and enjoying the peace. "This is nice..." Merlin eventually dared to say, liking not having to do work and just relax with the man he loved.

"Yeah, Merlin. It is," Arthur sighed, seeming to have lost his demanding personality between fits of laughter and bites of food.

Eventually time progressed, and before either of them really knew what was happening entirely, they kissed for the first time in what seemed like ages. It was soft, leaving them both star-struck, having almost entirely forgotten the feeling from work and chores and running the kingdom. They had always been too busy to even share a nice kiss in a while.

"Huh..." Merlin began.

"That was..."

"Nice."

"Yeah. Are we going to...?"

"Yeah," Arthur said, kissing Merlin again and smiling. "That's definitely something we have not done for a while. I kinda miss it," he said softly, voicing both of their thoughts and feeling a tad guilty.

"Yep," Merlin replied. "I love you, clotpole," he said with a smirk, saying those words sincerely for the first time in quite a long time.

"And I love you, Merlin. But I am not a clotpole!"

"Yes, you are," Merlin said with a smile, rolling his eyes and kissing Arthur once more, happy that their marriage was finally back on track. "We should probably head back, otherwise you're going to miss that banquet of yours.

**Author's Note:**

> I resolved the bridezilla issue pretty fast because I didn't want to drag it out. Don't hurt me.


End file.
